PhD in Management Science, Operations Management Concentration

The PhD in Operations Management degree emphasizes the development of models, methods, applications and algorithms as they apply to problems in industrial manufacturing, complex logistics and supply chains, and services. Students are exposed to deterministic and stochastic modeling and may apply and develop these and new methods to solve problems in their selected topics. Students may combine a major in finance, information systems or marketing with one in operations management/supply chain management.

The goal of the PhD in operations management degree is to educate future practitioners and researchers in the concepts and analytical techniques needed to understand and advance scientific solutions to the problems currently faced by operations managers.

Possessing latitude and depth in technical strength, their research renders a big impact both on academia and industry.

The UTD Top 100 Worldwide Rankings of Business Schools Based on Research Contribution in Management Science, Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, Operations Research, Production and Operations Management 2008-2013:

Rank

University

Articles

Score

Country

1

Columbia University (Graduate School of Business)

91

45.91

USA

2

Duke University (The Fuqua School of Business)

82

45.26

USA

3

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan School of Management)

88

44.77

USA

4

University of Texas at Dallas (Naveen Jindal School of Management)

70

39.85

USA

5

University of Pennsylvania (The Wharton School)

81

38.97

USA

6

Northwestern University (Kellogg School of Management)

71

36.60

USA

7

Stanford University (Graduate School of Business)

68

36.54

USA

8

New York University (Leonard N. Stern School of Business)

73

35.27

USA

9

INSEAD

73

34.32

FRANCE

10

Harvard University (Harvard Business School)

58

33.19

USA

With a strong emphasis on rigorous coursework and student research, the Operations Management degree program immerses students in a challenging and dynamic learning environment.

Our faculty are committed to student success and innovation, and extensively collaborate with students on research papers. Students are also given the flexibility to determine their research interests and are provided access to both academic and industry resources and connections.

The goal of the Operations Management program is to educate future practitioners and researchers in the concepts and analytical techniques needed to understand and advance scientific solutions to the problems currently faced by operations managers. Students graduate from the Operations Management degree program with the knowledge and skill set to produce quality research, effectively teach, and lead in industry.

Year

Name

Placement

2014

Liying Mu

University of Delaware

2012

Tao Li

Santa Clara University

2011

Anshuman Chutani

SUNY Binghampton

2011

Tharanga Rajapakshe

University of Florida

2010

Casey Chung

Blockbuster, Inc.

2010

Mili Mehrotra

University of Minnesota at Twin Cities

2010

Jun Ru

SUNY Buffalo

2009

Ruixia Shi

University of Richmond

2009

Gokcen Arkali

Prairie View A&M University

2009

Sanjay Kumar

Pennsylvania State University, Erie

2007

Nagihan Comez

Bilkent University

2007

Manoj Vanajakumari

Prairie View A&M University

2007

Xuying Zhao

University of Notre Dame

2006

Qi Feng

University of Texas (Austin)

2006

Jing Zhou

University of North Carolina, Charlotte

2006

Lama Moussawi

American University of Beirut

2005

Xianghua Gan

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

2005

Hong Yin

Western Carolina University

2005

Sirong Luo

Data Analyst at CapitalOne Financial

2005

Sanjeewa Naranpanawe

SAS Institute

2003

Harry Neil Geismar

University of Texas at Dallas

2002

Xiaohang Yue

University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

2001

Subodha Kumar

University of Washington at Seattle

With degree backgrounds ranging from Purdue, Tsinghua University, Penn State, and the Indian Institute of Technology, our Operations Management students are diligent, explorative, resourceful, and progressive.

Our intensive program attracts quality students that both challenge and support one another. They share a unified collegiality in our diverse and interdisciplinary Operations Management degree program.

Applicants should have at least a bachelor’s degree. Admission is based on grade point average, graduate examination test score (GRE or GMAT), letters of reference (at least three, with two from academic references), business and professional experience (if applicable), a written statement of personal objectives and compatibility with faculty research activities. Since the School of Management starts making first-round admission decisions on January 16th, it is best to complete the entire application process no later than January 15th. While applications will be accepted after that date, applying after January 15th may significantly lower your chance of acceptance. Applications for admission can be made using the UT Dallas Graduate Application website.

Prerequisites

Calculus, matrix algebra, computer programming and statistics are prerequisites for the doctoral program – every admitted student is responsible for ensuring he/she has satisfied these prerequisite requirements before joining the program.

Master’s–Level Courses

Students entering the program without an MBA or equivalent are required to complete a minimum of four courses in at least three areas typically required of MBA students to provide them with the knowledge required to be professional managers. In certain instances, a higher–level course may be substituted for an MBA–level course.

Minor

Required courses in the Operations Management degree

Students are required to take a sequence of specific Operations Management courses. Students should consult with faculty members in their respective areas to decide on the sequence of courses.

Seminars and Special Topics

Twelve hours of special topics and seminars in the operations management area.

Research Papers

Students are required to write original research papers in both their first and second summers. The second year paper is presented in a seminar attended by faculty and other students, and must be judged to be passing by the faculty before the student can advance to candidacy.

Written Preliminary and Qualifying Examinations

Operations Management PhD students take a written preliminary exam at the end of their first year in the program over a set of core methodology courses (OPRE 7310 Probability & Stochastic Processes, OPRE 7311 Stochastic Models in Operations Research, OPRE 7320 Optimal Control Theory, OPRE 7353 Optimization). At the end of their second year in the program, students take a qualifying exam (consisting of two parts: a written exam and a completed research paper), that they must pass before admission for candidacy for the doctorate degree.

Dissertation

Once the student has passed qualifying exam and paper requirements, work on the dissertation can commence. The dissertation is written under the direction of the dissertation committee. Twelve to 24 semester hours may be granted for the dissertation toward the minimum 75-hour requirement for the degree. At a time mutually agreeable to the candidate and the dissertation committee, the candidate must orally defend the dissertation to the committee.